Las Vegas Knights
by Jendeh
Summary: CHAPTER ELEVEN IS UP! WIP. Grissom and Sara work a case together and Sara finally hits rock bottom. Can they work out their issues? Nick falls for a beautiful woman. Does she share his feelings?
1. Default Chapter

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**A/N:** This isn't the original author's note. I have made a few revisions and changed my outline for the story. First off the case file will no longer be the main focus of this story. I am not a criminlist nor do I have a degree in forensics. I realized after a few chapters that if I kept going this route I would soon be talking out of my ass. Instead this will be primarily a G/S romance. Nick Stokes will also meet someone who will appreciate him for the great guy he is. I am honestly NOT a big Nick fan so this fic is my attempt to make him more likable for me. LOL. For those of you who are Nick fans you can tell me how I am doing.

I am attempting something a little different for me in that I will be switching back and forth somewhat between the characters every other chapter or so. Think of it as a CSI episode with an A plot and a B plot. The A plot is G/S and the B plot is Nick. Enjoy.

Please read and review. Remember, a five second review from you can make an author's day. :)

**Disclaimer: **I write about these characters because I have a deep love and appreciation for the show. I have no intentions of ever making a profit from this. Don't sue. :)

**Chapter One:**

"Okay this is something you don't see every day," Sara chirped.

"Indeed," Grissom replied. "Jim do we have any idea of what happened here?"

Jim Brass stood by the two CSIs who were staring at the corpse lying in front of them. "I'd say he died fending off a dragon."

"Very funny."

"No idea Grissom. I've never actually have seen anything like this," Brass replied.

Sara narrowed her eyes and knelt down near the corpse. "David have we determined the cause of death?"

The coroner smiled wanly at her. "Well if I were to offer a professional opinion I would say this blow to the head was responsible," he stated as he leaned back to let her take a look.

"Wow even with the helmet on that looks nasty," Sara said referring to a large conical wound that gaped through the helmet the victim was wearing and into his skull.

David nodded. "His temperature is eighty-five degrees so..."

"So that means he has been dead for about nine hours," Sara cut in. "Now we just need to figure out exactly why he was wearing a full suit of armor on a hiking trail at Lake Mead." Sara looked up at Grissom expectantly. 

"German Gothic Armor to be exact. Its design was popular in the late 15th century," Grissom added as he spotted something in the grass. With a gloved hand he picked up a sword lying close to the body. He held the weapon up for Sara and Brass to see. The sword appeared to be simple in design and about three feet long. Some kind of ribbon had been tied to the bottom of the hilt as a possible decoration. 

"Okay this is just getting stranger by the second. We find a guy dead out here wearing a full suit of armor. Lying beside his body is a sword and is that a shield there too?" Sara asked pointing to something else lying on the ground.

"Yes there is," Grissom replied. "Now this is odd."

Brass chuckled lightly. "You mean you finally see something odd in this case?" he joked.

Grissom held up the sword and pointed to the edges of the weapon. "These edges are blunted. A butter knife would be a more effective cutting weapon than this. Even the tip is dull and rounded."

"Grissom check out his feet," Sara stated.

The older man came and stood next to her. The top of the victim's feet were covered by sollerets, but underneath the metal plates he wore modern day shoes. "Interesting. Tennis shoes. I guess this rules out time travel."

"This armor looks really new, but check out all of those holes in it. Whoever did this to him was really going at it. This guy looks like he took a ton of hits before he was laid out," Brass commented. 

"Sara get some impressions of those footprints over there," Grissom requested. 

"Griss what kind of weapon do you think did this? Some kind of spike? Its weird."

Grissom regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever the weapon I can reasonably guess that its medieval."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the way back to the lab Grissom sat quietly in the passenger seat while Sara drove. She kept glancing in his direction as if wanting to say something but not knowing how. Finally Grissom sighed in frustration.

"Sara do you have something on your mind?"

She blinked. "Uh no."

"You keep looking at me," he stated plainly.

"Well I am just surprised you put me on this case with you."

"I had no choice," he replied. "Nick and Catherine are doing the case with the movie star, and Warrick is preparing for a court date."

Sara snorted. "And to think I was just starting to feel special," she replied sarcastically.

She gladly let the silence fall between them again. Sara couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy. When she had first come to Las Vegas she had considered Gil Grissom to be one of her best friends. From the moment they met several years before at an Entomology Teaching Seminar they had an instant connection. These days Sara felt more connected to her coffee maker than to Grissom. She didn't know if their friendship could be repaired or even if trying to do so was worth the effort.

"Sara do you mind if we stop and get something to eat?"

"You're asking me?" she inquired, surprised.

"Of course."

She shrugged. "Sure lets stop somewhere. You have something in mind?"

"Yeah there is a little deli up here on the that serves great sandwiches. They have some vegetarian cuisine too."

He pointed the way and soon enough they were seated in a booth awaiting their orders. Grissom was reviewing his notes he had taken from earlier that evening.

Sara stared at him feeling slightly irked. "This isn't too difficult is it?" 

"Whats not too difficult?" he asked without looking at her.

"Eating together. Its not painful."

Grissom looked at her and smiled. "We haven't gotten our food yet. You are making assumptions."

Sara groaned and stretched out on her booth bringing both legs up to rest on the seat. A few minutes later his club sandwich and her salad arrived. The two CSIs ate in silence, each pretending to be paying attention to their current case file. When they finished their meal Sara flashed Grissom a knowing smile.

Grissom shook his head with a smile and laid down enough money on the table for both of their lunches.

"I can pay for mine," she said.

"Don't worry about it. Consider it your reward for being Employee of the Month."

"I didn't know we have Employees of the Month?" she replied in a confused tone.

"We don't. But you are appreciated."

Sara sighed. "Sometimes I just don't understand you Grissom," she said as they left the restaurant.

"I never said that eating with you would be painful Sara," Grissom said softly when they reached the Tahoe.

"Lets just get back to the lab. I am curious to see what Doc Robbins has found on our body."

Grissom nodded sadly and got in the vehicle. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Whats up Doc?" Sara quipped.

Al Robbins glared and pointed his scalpel at her. "Sara you better hope you don't ever end up on this table!"

Sara flashed him a toothy grin. "You got anything for me?"

"Well I can tell you with a certainty that this kid didn't come from King Arthur's Court." He pointed to the victim's personal items. "I am confident that knights didn't wear X-Men t-shirts at the Round Table. No wallet or any identification anywhere on him however."

"Bummer. You know, he was wearing sneakers too. Do you have any idea what kind of weapon killed him?"

Robbins shook his head. "No idea. However, I can tell you that it was some type of conical weapon. Here take a look at these wounds all over his body. The blow to the head is what killed him but he took quite a beating before he died."

Sara leaned over the body and examined several of the open lesions on the victim's body. "You know its like he was stabbed with something round and pointed. These on his body aren't very deep compared to the one on his head," she commented curiously.

"Well the metal on his helmet was actually quite a bit thinner than the chest and arm pieces he wore. That piece of armor wouldn't have been able to withstand heavy blows like the rest of the set."

Sara studied the boy's face for several moments. "He doesn't look older than fifteen or sixteen. He had his whole life ahead of him," she said softly.

Al Robbins simply nodded and waited for Sara to speak again.

Soon enough she cleared her throat. "First we need to find out who he is. You mind if I take the armor and his personals off of your hands?" Sara asked.

"Not at all," Robbins replied at he began cutting at the boy's chest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Sara!" Warrick shouted from behind her as she left the autopsy room. 

Sara turned around and waited for him. "Hi Warrick."

He smiled when he caught up to her. "Hey Nick wanted me to tell you that he won't be able to make breakfast with you."

She frowned. "Why didn't he call me?"

Warrick shrugged lightly. "Said you wouldn't answer your phone."

Sara pulled out her cell and looked at it. "Oh I had the ringer off. Okay thanks for letting me know. Did he give a reason?"

Warrick's grin widened. "Yeah he says that he and Catherine have more evidence to collect on that Gypsy Stone case."

Sara narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you talking about that movie star thing? You know I never even heard of her until this happened."

Warrick chuckled. "She has been in a few decent B Movies. Have you seen 'Campus House Slaughter' or 'Beach Blood Bath'? Oh and she also starred in 'I'm In Love With A Zombie'. Great movies," he said seriously.

"Warrick please tell me you are joking?" Sara pleaded. "Did you actually just tell me there is a movie out there called 'I'm In Love With A Zombie'?" Sara sputtered somewhat surprised. 

"Yeah. Very deep plot too. I bet you would enjoy it," he quipped as he walked away.

Sara groaned as she pushed her cart of evidence towards the first empty lab she could find. Setting each piece of armor out on the table she prepared to dust them all for prints. Since Nick had called off their breakfast she planned to put in some more overtime.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter Two

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Two:**

Nick Stokes couldn't stop smiling as he processed his crime scene. He had been thrilled to be assigned to this case and with a good reason. He would get to meet Gypsy Stone, one of his favorite B Movie stars ever. Nick admittedly had a great love of B horror movies and he had fallen for Gypsy Stone from the first moment he saw her onscreen. Gypsy Stone, with her long legs and silky auburn hair, was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen onscreen. Now as he gathered evidence in the woman's home he tried to think of various ways to strike up a conversation with her.

"Nick you're staring," Catherine whispered. When he didn't answer her she gave him a gentle elbow in the ribs.

Nick jumped and looked at his colleague surprised. "Cath whats up?"

"You were staring. At her picture there on the wall. Not to mention you had a really goofy grin on your face."

"I am a fan," he mumbled somewhat embarrassed. "I am trying to get up enough nerve to ask for her autograph. I wish I could have brought my copy of 'I'm In Love With A Zombie' for her to sign," Nick confessed.

Catherine exhaled a very deep breath to keep herself from laughing. "Okay moving on because I don't even want to comment on that movie title. Did you figure out what that stuff in the zip lock bag was...?"

Nick groaned. "Its just like you thought. Semen. I think its odd that the perp would have planted the semen in a baggie though," he said while frowning at the evidence.

"Yeah I agree with you on that one. I wonder if this crime goes all the way to murder. I mean who's blood did this belong to?" Catherine inquired as she pointed at the wall where the grotesque graffiti was displayed.

Nick shrugged. "No idea. But this guy is obviously a complete psycho."

Catherine chuckled lightly. "Did the 'I love you Gypsy. I'll rip your heart from your chest whore!' writing in blood on the wall give that away?"

Nick stuck his tongue out at the other CSI. "Hey lets get a move on. Do you want to question her while I finish up here?" he asked as he started to gather up his supplies.

Catherine smiled at him. "I thought you wanted to get her autograph?"

"Well I do but I am uh...working up the nerve to ask."

Catherine shook her head with exasperation as she went to question the victim. They had been assigned to the case earlier in the evening. Apparently someone had broken into the movie star's home and left a few poignant messages. 

"Miss Stone? Hi was wondering if I could ask you a few more questions." she asked as she entered the kitchen where the attractive woman sat alone at a marble kitchen table. 

The other woman smiled warmly at her as she sipped a mug of tea. "Please call me Gypsy. You're Catherine Willows right?"

Catherine smiled and nodded.

"Please sit down. Can I get you some coffee or something to drink?" Gypsy offered.

"No I'm fine. Thank you though," Catherine replied as she sat down. "Um Gypsy did you say earlier when we arrived that someone has been harassing you quite awhile now?"

Gypsy took a sip of her tea. "Well yes. At first it was stupid things. Creepy fan mail and things like that. Eventually he worked his way up to sending me strange things and making phone calls when I was on the set."

"Strange things? How strange?"

Gypsy sighed. "Underwear that looked like it was soaked in blood. Pictures of dead animals. Those sort of things."

"And you didn't call the police then?" Catherine asked incredulously.

Gypsy snorted. "God no. I can take care of myself. Besides when you work in horror movies this stuff is pretty standard. I get a lot of strange mail, but this person kept signing his mail as 'Zombie Lover'."

Catherine winced. "I don't suppose you would have any of these items that were sent to you would you?"

"Yeah sure. I keep all of my fan mail," Gypsy quipped. "Even the creepy stuff. My brother gets a kick out of it. Hold on I'll go get the crate out of my bedroom," she said as she left the room.

Catherine couldn't help but feel a bit surprised by Gypsy Stone's friendly personality. She would have expected the beautiful woman to be uptight and arrogant, but instead she seemed generous and considerate. When she returned a few minutes later Catherine smiled at her.

"Okay show me what you've got."

Gypsy presented Catherine with a plastic crate filled with various items. "You are probably going to want to check this stuff for prints and all. My brother and I are the only one's who handled these things."

"You know about finger printing?" Catherine inquired.

Gypsy laughed. "No not much at all. I played a police officer in Beach Blood Bath. I can talk the talk but not walk the walk if you get my meaning. Feel free to take the whole crate. Hopefully something in there will help you."

Catherine nodded. "We are going to keep an officer assigned to you until we catch this person who broke into your home."

"Thanks a lot Catherine. I try not to let this stuff creep me out, but having someone break into my home and write that on the wall is just too much. I guess you will keep me updated?"

"Absolutely. In fact either Nick or I will be back tomorrow night with some more questions if that is alright?"

Gypsy nodded. "Your friend has avoided me the whole night. I guess he isn't a fan huh?" she said with a smile.

Catherine laughed. "Actually...you know could you do me a favor?" she asked as she leaned forward to whisper something in the other woman's ear.

Gypsy grinned and walked into her living room to find Nick. The CSI heard her approach him from behind and quickly turned around. Surprised to see her standing there Nick tried to think of something intelligent to say.

"Hi there. Nick Stokes right?" she asked salaciously.

"Uh ummm yeah," he stammered.

"I heard you are a fan Nick." 

"I ummm...I saw your last two movies in the theater," he admitted.

She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "I didn't even know they had a theater release. Most of my stuff goes straight to video."

"I think that you are umm...great. I have all of your movies," he said as a small blush creeped into his cheeks..

"Ms. Willows said that one of you would be returning with some more questions tomorrow. Is there any chance that will be you?" she inquired with a wink.

"Sure I can come back."

"Would you like an autograph Nick?" she asked with a smirk.

Nick's face lit up and then he sighed.. "I wish I brought my copy of "I'm In Love With A Zombie'."

Gypsy winked as she reached for his shirt. "Thats not quite what I had in mind Nick."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few minutes later both CSIs sat in Catherine's car as they prepared to leave the crime scene. The officer who remained behind waved to them as they pulled away. Catherine couldn't help but grin from ear to ear when she glanced at Nick. He still looked shell shocked.

"Nick what did she write?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I still can't believe she did that."

Catherine pulled over to the side of the road. "Here lift your shirt up. I have got to see this." When he did so she read the print and chuckled softly. "Well I'll say this for the woman, she has one hell of a sense of humor."

Nick frowned as he looked down to what Gypsy had written on his chest. "What does it say? I can't quite read it."

Catherine grinned. "It says 'To Nick, you can Stoke me anytime you want, Love Gypsy'."

"Oh god. She wants me to come back tomorrow."

"You know I was surprised by her. She was actually quite nice. I asked her to give you an autograph. I didn't expect _that_," she said pointing to his chest.

"Uh Catherine I think its best that we don't mention this to Grissom or Sara."

"Your scared of Sara?" she asked amused.

Nick scoffed. "Scared? I don't think so, but you know how Sara can be."

"Well lets get back to the lab and see if we can get an ID on some of these samples we collected." Catherine paused and glanced at him seriously. "And I think we will leave your autograph out of our report."

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter Three

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Three:**

"Sara you paged me?" Grissom asked sounding annoyed.

"Yeah," she replied without apology. "Check this out. Each piece including the sword and the shield have this."

Grissom walked over to stand next to her. He leaned over her shoulder only mere inches from touching her. Sara took a deep breath and held up a piece of the armor while turning it so that he could see the inside of it. Etched into the metal were the very tiny words: 'Medieval Replicas – J. Roberts'.

Grissom's mouth gaped and he smiled. "Well now this is interesting. Nice find Sara."

Sara flashed him a toothy grin at the compliment and Grissom couldn't help but notice that his heart started to beat a little faster. Grissom quickly pulled back and put some distance between them. He cleared his throat and forced a stoic expression upon his face. 

"Have you already already checked for prints?" he asked a bit more coolly than intended.

Sara stared at him somewhat confused by his mood change. "Uh yeah. I found two distinct prints. I am going to automatically assume that one set belongs to the vic, I have Jacqui running them through AFIS now," she replied.

Grissom nodded. "Why don't you go see what you can find at Medieval Replicas this morning. Perhaps this J. Roberts can shine a little light on our mystery?"

Sara narrowed her eyes and frowned. "You aren't coming?"

"No. I have some things to take care of around here."

"I guess that means I'll see you later," Sara replied softly, but he was already gone. She tried not to feel disappointed by Grissom's aloof manner towards her. _'I should be used to it by now,'_ she thought bitterly.

Sara knew that the store wouldn't open for a few hours longer so she continued to process the evidence. She began to study the boy's t-shirt closely. An 'X-Men The Movie' logo adorned the front of the shirt. Two well defined blood stains and tears marred the garment at the right shoulder and the middle of the abdomen. She found another much smaller stain and hole on the left sleeve of the shirt.

Sara frowned and moved over to examine the boy's pants. He had been wearing a pair of black jeans at the time of his death. She quickly found two medium sized holes in the right leg of the jeans. 

There had been no blood on the weapon that lay near the victim's body. She had recognized the tell-tale signs of a struggle at the crime scene and that theory was reaffirmed as she studied the photographs taken of the area around the body. However, the only blood at the scene had belonged to the victim. The victim may have tried to fight back, but he had been way out of his league.

"You never stood a chance did you?" she said sadly.

"Talking to yourself again Sar?"

"Hey Nick," she said without turning around. "I thought you weren't going to make it back before the end of shift?"

"Things went better than expected I guess. I heard you have a weird one. Thought I would come and check it out," he said curiously.

"Sure come on in," she replied still not looking at him.

Nick walked over and stared at the suit of armor in awe. "Wow you actually found a guy wearing this stuff out at Lake Mead?"

"Yep. A huge gaping wound in his head too. Take a look at that helmet."

Nick picked up the helmet and examined it closely. "This is surprisingly well made."

"If you look on the inside you will see the maker is a J. Roberts of 'Medieval Replicas'. I am going to pay that establishment a visit in a few hours when they open. I still can't figure out why he would have been wearing this stuff though. Vegas can be a strange place, but I think this is taking bizarre to a whole new level."

Nick was staring at the t-shirt she had laid down on the table. "X-Men huh? You know I collect comic books."

Sara chuckled. "Thanks Nick. I now have a whole new level of respect for you," she said in a teasing voice.

He tossed a glare her way. "Hey now comics are a piece of history. I have some comics that are older than we are. My best one is Amazing Spider-man issue number three from 1963. Its in very-fine condition," he said proudly.

Sara glanced at him and shook her head in confusion. "Nick that means absolutely nothing to me."

"Sara! That issue is the very first appearance of Doctor Octopus!" he exclaimed.

"Riiiiight, now it all makes sense," Sara drawled as she ran an ALS over the victim's clothing.

Nick exhaled slowly. "Don't you have any hobbies?"

Sara groaned. "Please lets not get into this line of questioning again. I'll accept that you value your comic book collection greatly."

He decided to drop the subject knowing that an irritated Sara was not worth the effort of the argument. "Hey do you still want to grab breakfast this morning?" he asked.

"No I can't. Grissom wants me to check out one of our leads," she said with a sigh.

Nick put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. "Sar? Whats wrong?"

Sara narrowed her eyes and noticed his good mood for the first time. "No whats wrong with you? Your practically glowing. And your smiling. A lot. What happened on your case?" she inquired.

He grinned broadly. "Nothing really. Gypsy Stone is pretty amazing though."

Sara's mouth popped open in a perfect 'O'. "Please tell me you didn't ask her out on a date Nicky."

He chuckled. "No no. She is just really nice is all. Listen, I need to beat my feet back to Catherine. I told her I would just check up on you. Our case is looking like something more than a simple stalker."

"Sure thing. See you later Nick."

Sara finished up with her evidence shortly after he left. Looking at her watch she saw she had a little more than an hour before Medieval Replicas opened. Against her better judgment she decided to stop by Grissom's office. His door was opened when she arrived and he appeared to be studying a series of papers on his desk.

"Hey Griss."

"Sara," he said without looking up.

"Whats up?"

Grissom lifted his head slightly and stared at her over the top of his glasses. "Don't you have something you need to be working on? Or have we solved this case already?"

"Well I still haven't gotten the prints back from Jacqui and my lead doesn't open up for another hour."

"Okay. Can I help you with something then?" he asked coolly as he directed his eyes down towards his desk again.

Sara blinked once. Twice. "No." She quickly turned to leave before she said something she would regret. _'Damnit why does he treat me like I am beneath contempt? And why do I keep going back for more?' _Sara cursed silently to herself. 

She grabbed her kit and decided to leave for Medieval Replicas a bit early. On the way out she passed Catherine and Nick who each smiled at her even as they chatted to each other. Sara heard Nick say "I still can't believe she lifted up my shirt..." before she walked out of the building. She didn't know what to make of that comment and was still too angry with Grissom to think about it.

As she drove to her destination Sara considered her options. She didn't see many. She loved her work. And being employed at the number two lab in the country had its benefits. Moving up to the number one lab, the FBI, wasn't an option, nor was moving down to a lesser lab. That left transferring to a different shift. Working with Grissom may be difficult, but working with Ecklie would be hell.

She decided that the best possible solution was to stop trying to be Grissom's friend. She resolved to avoid any future unnecessary conversation with her supervisor. 

When Sara arrived at her destination she still had twenty minutes to wait before the store opened. She got out of her Tahoe however and walked up to the shop. She cupped her hands against the outer window and could make out someone standing behind a counter. After knocking loudly on the door she stepped back and waited for the employee to acknowledge her.

A moment later the door opened and a large man stared at her with annoyance. "I'm sorry but we don't open for another..."

"Hi I am Sara Sidle with the Las Vegas Crime Lab," she said as she held up her ID for him to inspect.

The man quickly changed his tune and smiled at her. "What can I do for you officer?"

"I'm not a police officer. I'm just an investigator."

He chuckled. "Same thing in my book."

She smiled. "I was wondering if a J. Roberts works here?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I am Jack Roberts. Is there a problem? Here why don't you come in," he invited kindly.

Sara walked into his shop and was amazed by the amount of medieval style weapons and armor that surrounded her. "You made all of this stuff?"

"Sure did," he stated proudly.

Sara took some pictures out of her file and showed them to him.

"Would you recognize this boy?"

Jack took the picture and studied it a moment. "Sure don't. I don't get many kids in here and that one looks dead if you ask me."

"He is. Here take a look at these pictures," she said handing him the photos of the armor. 

"Well yeah this is a set I sold to a couple a few weeks ago."

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter Four

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Four:**

After Sara left his office seemingly upset, Grissom sat alone trying to figure out what he said wrong this time. He leaned back in his chair and used his index fingers to gently massage his temples. Between Warrick asking for an early vacation, Ecklie just being himself, Greg sporting a new blue haircut and now Sara getting moody once again Grissom felt his skull pounding relentlessly.

"Gil I just saw Sara race out of your office. What happened?"

Grissom groaned. The last thing he needed now was a lecture from Catherine. "Catherine can we talk about this later?"

She stood silently in his doorway for a few moments before walking in and shutting the door. Catherine sat down in the chair across from his desk and waited patiently for him to start talking.

"Catherine I really don't feel like having this conversation now," he said grumpily.

She stared at him for a minute before replying. "Have you taken your migraine medicine?"

He sighed deeply. "Yes. Its not helping. Getting the third degree from you won't help either," he added.

"Why don't you let me drive you home then?" she asked kindly.

He shook his head. "I was going to wait and see what Sara finds at Medieval Replicas. We might have a lead on our case," he explained.

Catherine smiled sadly. "Gil, honey, I saw the look on Sara's face when she left here. I don't think she will be coming back to see you today. Especially since the end of shift was," she paused to look at her watch, "ten minutes ago."

"I don't know what I said wrong this time Catherine," he said tiredly.

She stood up and started to gather his things. "Come on Gil, let me take you home."

"Alright. Let me get my things."

Catherine led him to her car with a fair amount of concern. Grissom's headaches weren't always common, but they were severe. Once they were both situated and on the way to his townhouse, Grissom pulled his seat back and closed his eyes. On the way to his house she pulled out her cell and speed dialed her mother.

"Hi Mom. How is Lindsey doing?" She paused and listened for a bit. "Well just call me if it gets any worse. I'll be a little late this morning alright? Okay love you."

Catherine glanced over at Grissom when they reached a red light. He was leaning his head back against the headrest and had his eyes closed. She thought he might be asleep. When they reached his townhouse ten minutes later she gently shook his shoulder.

"Gil, honey, come on lets get you inside."

Grissom nodded and got out of the vehicle without saying anything. He walked to his front door and frowned at her when she followed him. "Go home Catherine."

"Make me," she quipped.

"Your daughter is sick. She needs you more than I do," he replied as he opened his front door. Catherine pushed her way inside and made her way to the kitchen.

"Lindsey just has a small case of the sniffles. Besides she has my mom right now and you don't have anybody. And no, you can't tell me that you have your roaches. I still can't believe you listed them as your immediate family the last time we had to fill out our Emergency Contact List at work."

He sighed. "I can't ever win with you can I?"

"Nope. Sit down and let me make you some tea. You seem a bit more talkative now. Is the medicine helping?"

"A bit," he admitted.

Catherine grabbed a few mugs from his cup rack and began brewing each of them some tea. She had suspected from the moment she entered his office that he needed someone to talk to. Catherine knew her friend well enough to know that if she wanted information she would have to beat it out of him or be uncommonly patient. She watched him from her spot in the kitchen and felt a touch of melancholy spread through her abdomen. It didn't take a genius to realize that a migraine wasn't the only thing bothering her friend. Catherine lifted up both mugs of tea and walked over to the living room where he sat quietly. She gifted him with a warm smile as she hand Grissom his mug.

"Thank you Catherine. You don't have to stay," he said trying to indicate that he wanted to be alone.

"Nonsense. Lets chat. When was the last time we chatted?"

"Today," he said dryly.

"Gil I am not talking about work. I am talking about our lives. You've been so quiet lately and I've been...well I've been doing my own thing," she said evasively. "Are you still mad at me for cashing the check?"

Grissom narrowed his eyes. "Catherine I really don't feel like having this conversation now."

"What then? Do you want to talk about Sara?" she asked relentlessly.

"Catherine are you trying to provoke me?"

"No I am just trying to bust through this shell you have erected around yourself these past several months. You're a pretty private person normally, but this is extreme." She lifted her mug and took a sip of tea as she waited for him to respond.

Grissom in turn felt as if he was being backed into a corner. Using his hand to rub the area between his eyes lightly he tried to concentrate on a way to convince Catherine that he needed to be alone. Catherine, for all of her good qualities, had no qualms about meddling in other people's lives if she felt it necessary. He silently chided himself for letting her bring him home. 

"Gil?"

"What is it you want Catherine?" he asked somewhat harshly. His migraine continued to bother him as did Catherine's persistant presence.

She stared at him with both eyebrows raised. "The truth."

Grissom glared at her. "Okay so want the truth? Yes I am upset that you cashed the check. You seem to completely lack common sense when it comes to dealing with your family. First Eddie and now Sam Braun. Yes I am upset about the check Catherine. I thought that would have been obvious without having this discussion," he said bitterly.

Catherine pursed her lips tightly but didn't lose her temper. "And Sara?"

Grissom felt his anger fade away. Sara. He didn't want to talk about Sara. "Catherine there is nothing to talk about in that regard."

"Nothing Gil? She seemed pretty upset when she left your office this morning."

He grunted. "I don't know what I said to her. I asked her what she needed and she just stormed out." He sighed. "My headache was already coming on strong," he explained.

"Its not always what you say, but instead how you say it. I've seen Sara dissect every single comment you've made over the past several years. Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if she kept a diary with 'Grissom Quotes'," Catherine said seriously.

Grissom stood up and took his now empty mug to the kitchen sink. After washing the cup out he set it in the dishwasher. Finally he looked up at his friend who sat staring at him. "Catherine I think its time to call it a morning. I just want to take a long hot bath and go to bed."

Catherine finally admitted defeat. She wouldn't get more out of him this morning. "Okay Gil. You win this round. I'll clean up my mess and see myself out. Go get some rest," she said kindly.

"Since my car is still at the lab can you pick me up tonight?"

"Sure." 

Grissom then walked to his bathroom and shut the door. He hadn't wanted to talk about Sara with Catherine because he knew she would make him say too much. He turned the faucet on and watched his tub fill with hot steaming water. Slowly he peeled his clothing from his body and climbed into the welcoming water. The steam helped him relax and soon his thoughts drifted to an earlier, happier time several years before. 

Grissom smiled to himself as he remembered the first time he had seen that smile. Memories blended with one another and he couldn't help but remember a beautiful, brilliant college student who had claimed to love him. It hadn't lasted. Nothing ever did. 

When she had come to Las Vegas he had assumed that they could be friends and nothing more. He dated other women in an attempt to free himself of her. Grissom thought he had been successful. That is until she had asked him to dinner. He had been hurt once before, and he swore he wouldn't make the same mistake again. 

He intended to save them both the heartbreak this time.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter Five

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Five:**

Gypsy Stone opened her front door before Nick could knock. "Nick Stokes. I can't say how pleased I am to see you again," she said smiling.

Nick grinned and tried not to blush. "Hi again Miss Stone. I was hoping I could ask you a few more questions."

Gypsy opened the door to invite him in. "Of course Nick. You did say you were coming back last night didn't you?"

"Well yes Miss Stone..."

She interrupted him with a smile. "Call me Gypsy. 'Miss Stone' makes me feel like an old woman."

"Okay Gypsy." Nick said as he walked into her home and began looking around. He was pleased to note that she hadn't interferred with the crime scene. "Gypsy I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me having a look around your home? Your bedroom, bathroom and other rooms that we didn't get to examine last night."

She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. "May I ask why? The crime scene is out here."

"Well we couldn't find any forced signs of entry last night. I'm hoping that further investigation will help us understand how this person was able to get in your home," he explained.

She nodded with understanding. "Of course. I'll be out on the veranda."

Nick opened his field kit and began inspecting each room of the woman's house thoroughly. Around the windows of some of the rooms he found a single set of prints which he guessed probably belonged to Gypsy herself. He printed them anyways. Also each window was locked and after examining the dust around the locks he assumed they had been that way for some time. In the kitchen there was a door that led to Miss Stone's backyard, but Nick had inspected this entrance the previous night.

It seemed that the perpetrator had somehow gotten into Gypsy Stone's house without breaking in any windows or forcing open any locks. That person then walked into her living area and used blood to write a hateful message on her wall. Once they finished they left a baggie with semen in it on her coffee table. The thing that struck Nick as particularly odd, was the fact that the person who had done this didn't cause any other damage within Miss Stone's home. On either side of the bloody printing were pictures of Gypsy herself which were not defaced at all.

Nick walked up close to the writing on the wall. Whomever had written this message had taken their sweet time making neat, easily defined letters. Despite being written in blood the writing was almost pristine with hardly any dripping at all. The perpetrator claimed to love Gypsy in the message, but also promised to rip her heart out. _'Maybe someone she rejected?' _Nick thought. He squinted his eyes together for a few minutes before smiling as an idea struck him. Taking out his ALS he ran the instrument slowly along the blood pattern on the wall. 

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed happily after a moment. He gathered his tweezers and an evidence envelope from his kit and pulled a few fibers off of the wall. Putting the packet away Nick began to inspect the carpet below the message. He couldn't find any blood drops at all. The perp had been very considerate in making sure that the mess was contained.

Finally Nick put his gatherings and kit away before going to find Gypsy Stone on the veranda.

"Gypsy?" he called out politely as he opened the door.

"Over here Nick."

Nick turned to his left and saw her sitting on a small bench sipping what looked like a glass of wine. She was wearing a t-shirt and some boxer shorts. Nick had to stop himself from grinning when he saw a pair of bunny slippers on her feet.

"Gypsy I was just wondering if it would be possible to talk to your brother?"

She laughed. "Please don't tell me you are considering my brother for this?"

"Well I would like to rule him out as a suspect," Nick replied calmly.

"Alright. I have your card and I'll have him call you," she said without looking his way.

"Gypsy I also need to know if anyone else has access to your home? Friends? Family? Someone you might have been dating, or are still dating?"

She turned in her seat to look at him gravely. "You are thinking that someone I know did this?" she asked incredulously.

"I am open to all possibilities," Nick answered diplomatically.

Gypsy snorted and stood up. She swallowed the last of her wine and walked back into her home. Nick followed her quietly.

"I don't have friends. My brother is my only family and I haven't dated anyone in almost four years. Does that answer your question?"

Nick frowned. "I'd still like to get the name and number of your last boyfriend if you don't mind."

Gypsy scoffed but didn't refuse him. "Hold on let me go check my address book." She returned a minute later with the information he requested.

"Once again is there anyone else that has access to your home? Perhaps your agent?"

Gypsy rolled her eyes. "Yeah my agent does. You want his number too?"

Nick felt a bit uncomfortable with the woman now. She had seemed open and friendly earlier, but now she appeared to be irritated. "Gypsy I am just trying to find out who did this to you. As an investigator I have to suspect everyone. Someone out there might intend you harm, and until we find them I have to keep my eyes open to every possibility."

Gypsy sighed and leaned against her kitchen counter before letting a small smile curve the corners of her lips. "Your a nice guy aren't you Nick? I hope I didn't embarrass you too much last night," she said as a way of changing the subject.

Nick lowered his head and chuckled lightly. "You didn't embarrass me much," he said confidently.

"Your friend told me that an autograph would make your day. You seem a little more composed now."

"Actually you seem quite composed yourself," he observed. "Aren't you a bit scared that some maniac might be after you?"

Gypsy shrugged lightly. "Sorta. Not really. I try not to let things like this get to me. I figure it comes with the job. I get to run around screaming like an idiot in second rate horror films and every moron with a copy of one of my movies shows his appreciation for the films by acting like a fan boy or sending me something horribly repulsive like death threats."

A deafening silence fell between them as Nick quickly stood up to leave while Gypsy's eyes widened when she realized what she had said. 

"Ah yes. Those fan boys must be terrible to deal with," Nick muttered as he began to gather up his supplies.

"Nick wait. Please. I'm sorry."

"I need to go. I have to get this evidence back to the lab," he replied as he picked up his field kit.

"Wait please," she said as she grabbed his arm. "I wasn't talking about you when I said that. I am just frustrated that this is happening. Let me make it up to you somehow."

"Gypsy you don't need to make anything up to me. I am not mad," Nick said sincerely.

"No but you are embarrassed aren't you? You read like an open book Nick," she said softly, still holding onto his arm. "Let me take you out to breakfast. Don't say no," she added when he looked shocked.

Nick cleared his throat. "I don't know if that is a good idea," he replied.

Gypsy lowered her head smiling sadly and let loose her hold on his arm. "Okay. I'll see you later then?" 

Nick simply nodded and walked away. Once he got inside his vehicle he turned on the ignition and drove off. After a few blocks Nick pulled out his cell and dialed Catherine's number.

"Hey Catherine. Your going to love this. I found fibers in the blood on the wall." He paused to let her talk. "Yeah give me ten minutes. Cath I've got to tell you that if I were a betting man I would swear this was an inside job."

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter Six

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Six:**

Grissom paged Sara to his office that night when she didn't show up for assignments. He was feeling a bit annoyed with her until she bounded in his office wearing a toothy grin upon her face.

"Okay Grissom get this. The armor that kid was wearing cost a hefty three grand. Jack Roberts instantly recognized the set and told me he only sells about six or seven of those a year. By the way you were right about that German Gothic style thing," she said excitedly.

Grissom was pleased to note that Sara seemed to be in a much better mood this evening than she had been when she left his office the previous shift.

"So do we have the name of the person who bought it?"

"Actually it was a couple who bought it and no we don't have their names. Apparently they paid by cash."

Grissom shook his head with a baffled expression upon his face. "Cash? Who would pay cash for a transaction that large?"

Sara sighed. "I asked that question too. Apparently Mr. Roberts' credit card machine was down for about a week and he doesn't accept checks. He told me that the couple seemed highly irritated, but they went to the bank and got the cash for the set. They apparently didn't say what they were buying the suit for."

Grissom sat back in his chair and chewed on the end of his pen. "So how does he know that this is the set he sold them?"

"Well Mr. Roberts explained that each set he designs is completely unique from any other set."

Grissom sat quietly for a moment considering the things she said.

She continued speaking before he could form a question. "Don't worry I know what you are thinking. If he sells six or seven of these sets a year then what are they used for right? Well I found out that this guy actually sells several different types of armor for sci-if/fantasy conventions and LARPers. Roberts told me that if our vic was wearing it then that is probably what it was used for," she explained with a happy smile.

Grissom cocked his head and frowned. "What is a LARPer?" he asked confused.

As if it were possible, Sara's grin grew even wider. "I knew that would be your next question! LARP stands for 'Live Action Role Playing'. Apparently once a month a bunch of people get together and pretend to fight each other with swords and stuff like that. Jack Roberts explained to me that these people take their LARPing quite seriously and all participants are required to dress in fantasy garments. Like, for instance, a suit of armor."

"So you are thinking that our victim's parents bought this armor for their son to participate in this LARPing event?"

"Yes. And now get this. Jack Roberts told me that there are two different LARPing games that occur in this area. Each game takes place once a month from a Friday evening to a Sunday evening. All weekend. 'Ruins' takes place two weeks from now, but 'Talisman' is a game that just finished this past weekend."

"And we found our vic's body in the early hours of Monday morning."

"It gets better than that. 'Talisman' takes place at Lake Mead."

Grissom smiled pleased with her progress. "I take it you have already been out to Lake Mead?"

"Yep. I had a look around but couldn't figure out where these people were. So I spoke to the PR people at Lake Mead and they gave me this 'Talisman' game owner's name. The 'Talisman' game is run by someone named Scott Lansmier. He is supposed to meet me at the 'Talisman' camp site in a few hours."

"Sara have you slept?" Grissom asked frowning.

"No not yet. I've been working on this all day. I'll catch a nap in the morning." 

Grissom sighed knowing it was pointless to argue with her. "Okay, lets head out to Lake Mead and see if we can find anything. Its going to be dark, but hopefully we will find a few clues. Hopefully this Lansmier will know our vic."

"Well I asked him about that on the phone and he is going to bring a list of all the players. He has emergency contact info for all of them as well. Hopefully our vic is on that list," she said enthusiastically.

"You're in a good mood today," Grissom noted.

"This case is finally starting to make sense. That makes me happy."

"I had a headache yesterday," he said changing the subject.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"I had a headache when you stopped by my office last shift. I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you," he explained.

"I...uh. Wow. Did you just apologize to me?"

Grissom frowned. "Its not unheard of."

Sara coughed into one of her hands. "No of course not. Perhaps we should get going before you try to shock me again," she said smiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at Lake Mead, Scott Lansmier sat on the hood of his Chevy Silverado waiting for them. When he saw them exit Sara's Tahoe he jumped down and approached them smiling. Reaching out a hand he politely shook each of their hands. Sara guessed his age to be in the mid-twenties. He had sandy blond hair and was more attractive than she would have expected.

"Hi I am Sara Sidle and this is Gil Grissom. You are Scott Lansmier I presume?" she asked courteously.

"Yes ma'am, Miss Sidle. Your even more beautiful than your voice had me believe," he said with a roguish grin and a wink.

Sara almost smiled until she glanced over and saw Grissom openly frowning at the man. Instead she took a photo of the victim out and handed it to Scott who took it graciously. He stared at the photo for a few moments before handing it back to her.

This time when he spoke his tone was very serious. "I don't know him. If he played my game then he has to be very new. Probably joined within the last couple of months."

"How many people play your 'game' Mr. Lansmier?" Grissom asked with a raised eyebrow.

Scott crunched his face in concentration. "I would guess about two hundred and fifty to three hundred show up each month."

"And you own this 'game'?" 

This time Scott smiled openly with pride. "Yes sir I surely do. It was an idea I thought up a few years ago and it has taken off successfully. I usually take the time to get to know each of the new players within their first few months, which is why I know that your guy must be new. Hold on I have something that might help you out," he said as he returned to his truck. When he returned he was carrying a bundle of papers. "Now I photo copied all of my documents for you folks. I want to help in any way possible."

"What is all of this?" Sara asked as she took the bundle from him.

"The list on top has the names of all the players who attend the Talisman events. New players within the last three months will have an dash by their names. That should narrow your search a bit. The rest is a personal in-game and out-of-game information sheet for each player that signs up for Talisman."

"Mr. Lansmier can you show us your 'game' site?" Grissom asked.

"Yes sir. Follow me. I don't think you will find anything there though. We don't leave much of a mess. All of our players have to volunteer four hours of their time each event for various projects. Some players get to play monsters, some get to run the pubs and some are asked to clean up at the end of events."

"Scott do your players use real weapons?" Sara inquired as they walked along.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "Nobody gets hurt playing. We use fake weapons that are wrapped in foam and then taped up. You would have a hard time bruising someone with one of our weapons."

"Why would our victim have been carrying a real sword then?" she asked perplexed.

"Some players like to carry real weapons for an authentic look. Swords, daggers and what not are all tied to the player's scabbards however. No one is allowed to draw a real weapon and if they did they would be expelled from the game. To date no one has been seriously injured in my game."

"Until now," Grissom replied evenly.

Scott Lansmier frowned at the older man, but didn't say anything in response.

Once they reached the camp site Sara and Grissom realized quickly that they wouldn't be able to find any evidence to assist in their investigation. The site had been picked clean of trash and stretched for about two miles. Scott stood beside them wearing a grim look on his face.

"I don't think you folks are going to find anything here. But you are welcome to look. My people clean up pretty good."

Sara turned to him and smiled. "Scott you've been a big help so far. You can head out if you like, I'll call you if I need anything else."

Scott nodded and grinned. "Please do."

Once he was out of ear shot Sara turned to Grissom. "I don't think he is involved. Just a hunch."

"We'll see. In the meantime lets get back to the lab and see if we can determine who our vic is from the files that Lansmier gave us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Grissom insisted on driving back to the lab, but found it difficult to keep his eyes on the road. He spent most of the drive casting furtive glances in Sara's direction. She pretended not to notice as she read through the information that Scott Lansmier gave her, but eventually she grew irritated.

"Grissom do I have something hanging out of my nose?" she asked annoyed.

"No."

"Then why do you keep looking at me?"

He sighed deeply. "I've been doing some thinking."

She pursed her lips. "Okay," she replied returning to her reading.

"Don't you want to know what about?"

"I admit I am curious, but I really am not in the mood for another dose of bad news from you."

Grissom blinked. "Is that all you expect from me? Bad news?"

Sara sighed and set her papers down again. She turned the overhead car light off and sat back in her seat. "No, but that is usually what you give me. Actually now that I think about it, this is the most you have said to me in months without me approaching you first. If this turns out to be a positive conversation, I imagine I'll develop a complex of some sort."

"Catherine drove me home yesterday morning because I had a horrible migraine. When I was in the tub I..."

"You were in the tub with CATHERINE?!" Sara shouted. "So much for this being a positive conversation," she muttered.

"What? No. Sara calm down. She was already gone when I took a bath," Grissom explained as he did his best to hold back a smile.

"Geez Grissom. Why did you mention her then?" Sara asked disgruntled.

"No reason," he sighed. "As I was elucidating before you interrupted me, I had been thinking about...the past," he said significantly.

"Oh. Oh. Ohhhh," Sara breathed as comprehension dawned upon her. "Ummmm you said you didn't want to talk about that. Ever again. Grissom I am sooo not ready for this conversation," Sara stammered.

"Sara I would like to hear the truth from you. I thought that I had long ago grown past it, but sometimes, sometimes it bothers me," he admitted.

Sara turned away from him and looked out of the passenger side window. "I don't know what to say Grissom. I was young and stupid. I've been trying to correct that mistake for four years now," she replied in a soft voice.

"You hurt me," Grissom said as he stared straight ahead at the road.

"You've been hurting me for quite awhile now. Are we even?" 

He frowned. "Its not a competition Sara."

"I didn't say it was Grissom, but I don't know what you want from me. I can't take back what happened, and I've spent the past four years hoping you would give us another chance. Is anything I say now going to make that happen?" she asked with despondence. 

"Probably not."

"Then why bother?"

He shrugged. "Closure, I suppose."

Sara scoffed. "Closure? Personally I would rather be happy."

**To be continued...**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Seven:**

"How is your case coming? I heard that Griss had to pull Catherine for a DB at the Monaco."

Nick glanced up and smiled warmly. "Heya Sar, and yes he pulled her. This is Warrick's first day of vacation and I already miss him," he laughed.

Sara leaned against the door frame and smiled at her friend.

"This is a tough one Sara. I am almost a hundred percent certain that whomever did this to Gypsy actually knew her quite well," he muttered in a frustrated tone.

Sara raised an eyebrow when Nick referred to the woman by her first name, but didn't comment on it. "Who are your suspects?"

"Well so far her brother and her manager. Thats it! Her manager has an airtight alibi too. I don't have any prints to go off of and the fibers I found in the blood on the wall turned out to be from a paint brush."

Sara walked into the room and sat down next to her friend. Nick continued to peer through his microscope.

"You know you have one more suspect," Sara said nonchalantly as she picked up a pencil and chewed on the end of it.

Nick snapped his head up and gazed at her quizzically. He shook his head in confusion.

"Your victim."

"Gypsy Stone?" Nick asked shocked. "Sara please, why would she do that to herself? Seriously you haven't met her, she isn't that type of person."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Nick its not like you know her either. Lets see you've been on this case two days?"

Nick sighed. "She isn't a suspect," he replied firmly. "Now tell me who has your panties in a twist this time. Oh wait let me guess. Could it be Grissom?"

"My panties are _not_ in a twist. I am just trying to open your eyes to other possibilities. You have two suspects one who has an alibi and your victim is someone who could use the publicity right?"

Nick shook his head. "Look lets drop this. I am not trying to blow off your theory, but my instincts are telling me that she is innocent. She doesn't seem like the type."

Sara smiled good-naturedly and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Alrighty then. Hey listen you want to have breakfast with me this morning? You owe me since you blew me off before," she added with a wink.

"Yeah sure. Wanna come back to my place? You can update me on why your panties are in a twist...this time," he said smirking. 

"You like to push your luck don't you?" she said with a mock growl.

Nick grinned widely. "You're just now figuring this out?"

Sara chuckled as she walked out of the room. "See you at the end of shift. Breakfast better be good!"

Once she left Nick began concentrating on his case again. He felt as if he was missing something completely obvious to the case. As much as it irked him, he knew he might have to eventually consider Sara's theory. Nick wanted to believe that Gypsy wasn't capable of doing something like this, but he also had to admit that he didn't know her very well. The media would probably snag onto this story anytime now. Nick knew that it probably wouldn't grant her front page status, but it might give Gypsy a bit of publicity.

Nick quietly cursed Sara under his breath. He hadn't really wanted to consider this possibility until he had no other leads to go on. It seemed natural to him to always look for the best in people. Occasionally he was disappointed, but more often than not he found himself rewarded for his trust. Sara had a way of looking at a case from several angles and had no qualms about suspecting anyone within the immediate vicinity of the crime. Labeling Gypsy Stone as a suspect in this case just seemed too easy and convenient to Nick. He knew he was missing something. Perhaps he had been asking the wrong questions or looking for the wrong clues, but eventually he would find his culprit and instinctively he knew that it wouldn't be Gypsy. 

Nick hated to admit it, but he was also attracted to her. Of course, he hadn't mentioned that fact to Sara who would have jumped down his throat. While he was better friends with Sara, he had been elated that his partner on this case was Catherine. She tended to be more understanding in certain things than Sara. Such as his crush on Gypsy Stone. When Gypsy had inadvertently called him a fan boy at the start of this shift he had been only mildly offended. Instead he worried more that she didn't respect him which was why he refused her breakfast invitation. To Nick, the invitation seemed to be a pity apology which angered him.

An overhead page from Judy asking him to come up front brought him out of his reverie. Nick put his supplies away and made his way to the lab's reception desk. Checking his watch Nick saw that it was 5 a.m. 

"Hey Judy whats up?"

The woman looked up from something she was reading and smiled at him. "Someone is here to see you," she replied indicating a man standing off to the side.

Nick walked over to him and smiled. "Hi I'm Nick Stokes. You need to see me?"

"Yes I am Gypsy Stone's brother Sylvester," he said as he held out his hand for Nick to shake.

Nick took his hand and sized the man up. He appeared to be in his early twenties and was well groomed. "Sylvester Stone huh? I bet that went over real well in school."

The other man chuckled. "Yeah. Please call me Sly. My parents were fans of the Rocky movies. There was a period of our lives when my sister and I thought they were actually going to change our last names to Stallone."

Nick found himself instantly liking Sly. The younger man's easy going manner welcomed casual conversation. "You know I liked all of the Rocky movies except the fifth one. I generally try to pretend that it was never made."

Sly laughed. "You and my sister should get along just fine then. She hates that one too."

Nick smiled. "Speaking of your sister, I need to ask you a few questions about what happened in her home."

Sly's grin faded and suddenly he was all business. "Sure thing. I'll be glad to help catch this scumbag in any way possible."

"Well first I'd like to get a fingerprint and DNA sample from you."

Sly frowned but nodded. "Sure thing. You need to eliminate me as a suspect I guess."

Nick led Sly to one of the labs where he proceeded to swab the man's mouth and fingerprint him. He then handed both samples to Greg to process. Finally he turned his attention back to Gypsy's brother.

"Sly do you know anyone who would like to hurt your sister?"

"What you mean jaded lovers or something? Naw. She really doesn't date much. Gypsy is a pretty private person."

"So no recent ex-boyfriends? Maybe someone else she might have ticked off?"

"Dude, seriously my sister hasn't dated anyone in like four years. And that was before she made her first film. If I had any idea who did this I would smash their face in, I can tell you that," Sly said seriously.

Nick spent another twenty minutes hoping to find out some new information from Sly, but eventually realized that either the man was hiding something or knew very little. He shook hands with Gypsy's brother one more time before bidding him farewell. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Nick saw that the end of shift was near and went in search of Sara.

When he finally found her she sat alone in a dark room in front of a computer. Her head was in her hands and Nick saw that her shoulders were shaking slightly. He stood quietly in the doorway and wondered if he should intrude. Lately Sara had been acting somewhat strangely and Nick couldn't help but worry about her. He knew she would hate it if he caught her in a vulnerable moment so backed up out the room several paces into the hallway. Finally he called out her name so that she would hear him and gave her a moment before entering the room again.

She was standing up rubbing her eyes when he walked back in. Nick pretended not to notice. He intended to try and find out what was bothering her when they got back to his apartment for breakfast.

"Sara you ready to call it a morning? Pancakes and eggs at my place," he said with a smile.

"Sure thing, let me go get my stuff from the locker room."

"I'll go with you. How is your case coming?"

She took a deep breath. "We have a little headway. We still don't know who our vic is. I was just searching the missing person's reports."

The two CSIs grabbed their personal items and made their way to the parking lot. Nick was concentrating on Sara so didn't notice Gypsy leaning up against his car until they were almost upon her.

"Gypsy!" he exclaimed surprised.

Sara looked from Nick to Gypsy as if trying to figure something out.

Gypsy smiled. "Nick I was hoping you would reconsider my breakfast invitation."

"I uh..." Nick sputtered.

Sara's eyes widened, but she tried not to appear surprised. "Oh. Uh, Nick why don't you have breakfast with her? We can do this another time," she said as she hastily walked to her Tahoe.

"No Sara, I ummm, crap," Nick said, torn between greeting Gypsy and chasing Sara down.

Gypsy looked from the retreating form of Sara to Nick. "Oh my. Did I interrupt something?" she asked in an embarrassed tone as she placed a tentative hand upon his shoulder. "I'm sorry Nick. If you are involved, I mean, well I didn't know."

Nick shook his head and sighed. "No she is just a friend."

"Do you need to go after her?"

Nick shook his head. "Naw I'll talk to her tonight."

Gypsy nodded. "I was hoping you would give me another chance. Have breakfast with me? Totally platonic, scout's honor," she quipped as she held up her hand.

"Um that is the Star Trek symbol for 'Live Long and Prosper'," he said laughing.

"So is that a yes?"

"Why in the world do you want to go out with me?" Nick asked perplexed.

Gypsy chuckled. "Lets just say you have that 'southern charm' thing going on. Are you going to make me beg?"

"Naw. I know a nice little place down on the corner if that will suit you," he said with one last glance at Sara's Tahoe as she exited the parking lot. He told himself he would find time to talk to her during their next shift.

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**A/N: ** Okay for those of you wondering where I have been with the updates let me offer an explanation. When I started this story over a month ago I intended to write a pure case file. A few chapters into the fic, I realized there was no way I could do that. However, I still wanted to write strong case file with very little characterization. The story was boring the crapzors out of me. So I put it on the shelf until last night. For those of you who have read the previous seven chapters, please note that I have made some subtle changes to those chapters. I don't however, think you will need to go back and reread them.

From this point on I will of course be addressing the case file, but will focus more on the characters. This is what we want anyways right? :) Please R/R

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Eight:**

Sara now regretted leaving the lab. Breakfast with Nick had seemed like a good idea until his victim showed up asking for a date. It didn't surprise her that Nick would find that woman attractive. By society's standards Gypsy Stone would be considered a knockout. She also wasn't surprised that someone like Gypsy would be interested in Nick. He was handsome, chiseled and well-mannered. Admitting these things to herself didn't stop Sara from feeling annoyed.

No, she wasn't jealous of them. She thought of Nick more as brother, rather than a love interest. Instead she felt annoyed at how easily other people find it to come together and meet on even ground. Sara had loved the same man for years and had never been able to find herself on solid ground with him. Even when he had loved her in return.

When she pulled up to her apartment building Sara thought she might shower and change before heading back to the lab. A moment's thought reminded her that she hadn't had more than an hour nap in over forty hours.

Sara sighed and opened her front door. Glancing around her apartment she was reminded of the Joan and Donna Marks case a few years earlier. Joan had been a lonely woman who spent too much time with the internet and ordering catalogs. Sara had felt that the woman's life had mirrored her own too closely. After that case she had come home and thrown away all of her catalogs, menus and anything else that would give her an excuse to stay home rather than go out. Since that time the catalogs, menus and other ordering brochures slowly made their way back into her life. Now as she looked around her barren apartment Sara realized that she had come full circle.

"I guess its who I am," she said aloud.

Sara set her personal items on the kitchen counter and opened her pantry. Pulling a bottle of Tequila out she poured herself a small glass of the liquor. She started to put the bottle away before staring at it for a moment. Instead she grabbed her glass and took the bottle with her. _'No point in having to get up to get it later,' _she thought_. _

She sat the glass and bottle on her coffee table and went to retrieve her case file notes. She figured she could put a few more hours in on the case before catching a nap. Sara stretched out on her couch and got comfortable.

Yawning she took a gulp of her drink as she began looking at the first name listed in the stack of papers. 

**Eric Aarons: Age - 32**

**Torlock the Shady**

**15th Level Mage/8th Level Thief**

Sara noted that underneath this title several items were listed such as a 'Wand of Magic Missiles' and a 'Cloak of Invisibility' as possessions the person "owned". She giggled silently to herself as she took another drink. Sara couldn't understand what the draw to this game would be. Everything about it was imaginary.

Within a couple of hours she had gone through half of the stack of papers and half of the bottle of Tequila. She had two possible hits on her victim, but intended to finish going through the stack before she followed up on them. Sara's exhaustion was catching up to her however, and she soon realized that between drinking a bit too much and not having slept in quite awhile, she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. She stood up a bit clumsily and made her way to the bedroom. She needed a shower, but felt too weary to even undress much less cleanse herself. Sara collapsed on top of her bed and fell instantly asleep. 

A few hours later a ringing noise interrupted her peaceful slumber. It took her several moments to realize that the sound was coming from her bedside phone.

"Si...Sidle," she croaked as she placed the receiver close to her ear.

"Sara where have you been? I've been trying to call you for twenty minutes," Grissom demanded on the other end of the line.

Sara quickly attempted to clear her throat. "Sorry Griss I was sleeping. Um...why are you calling me?" she asked as she looked at the clock. It was only one o' clock and she had been asleep less than two hours.

"We have a hit on our case Sara. Missing person's came across a teenager who matched the description of our victim. The parents are coming to the lab now to ID the body. I thought you might want to be here."

Sara was already stumbling out of her bed. "Yeah Grissom. Thanks for calling. I'll be there in ten minutes," she said hastily as she hung up the phone. Looking down at herself she realized she had been wearing the same clothes for over a day. She quickly slid on a fresh shirt and ran a brush through her hair. Realizing she still looked horrible she threw some water on her face. _ 'I look like shit, but it'll have to do for now,'_ she thought with resignation.

She grabbed her keys, purse and notes and rushed out the door. She popped a cough drop in her mouth before reaching her Tahoe. Sara tried not to drive too fast as she didn't want to get pulled over, but she didn't want the victim's parents to get to the lab before her. She needn't have worried as the couple in question reached the lab a good twenty minutes after she arrived. 

She followed Grissom and the attractive couple, who introduced themselves as Roger and Karen Miles, down to the morgue. When the woman broke down in front of them, Sara knew they could finally ID their victim.

Grissom and Sara stood side by side as they allowed the grieving couple a moment alone with their deceased son. Grissom gave Sara a once over before frowning. "You're tired aren't you?" he whispered.

She snorted lightly. "Don't worry about it. I am fine."

"Are you sick?"

"Huh?"

"Cough drops. You smell like menthol eucalyptus," he commented.

Sara blinked. "Uh no. Fresh breath. I didn't have time to brush before I left."

A muscle in Grissom's jaw flexed as he continued to observe her. He started to say something when the Miles' returned to stand in front of them. Karen Miles was openly weeping while her husband held her. His face was flushed red and his eyes moist with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Grissom told them softly.

Roger Miles nodded stiffly. "What happened to our son," he choked out.

"We are trying to find that out now Mr. Miles," Sara said comfortingly. "We were hoping you could answer a few questions for us."

The father stared at her for a moment. "Sure. Let me take my wife outside..."

"No Roger, I want to stay. I...I need to hear this," the woman said through her tears.

Sara looked at Grissom and he gave her a slight nod. "Mr. and Mrs. Miles, your son's name was Jonathan?"

"Yes. Everyone calls him Jon."

"Did you buy him a suit of German Gothic Medieval Armor from Jack Roberts at Medieval Replicas?" Sara inquired.

Karen Miles suddenly became a bit more alert. "Yes, but what does that have to do with our son's death?"

"Your son was found dead in that armor Mrs. Miles."

Sara and Grissom spent ten minutes explaining the details of the case to the grieving couple. The Miles' were able to confirm that they had indeed given their son the suit of armor so he could play the 'Talisman' game. In fact this past weekend had been his first time playing. 

He was supposed to have come home with a friend of his. When they hadn't heard from him after a day the couple filed a missing person's report. Sara wanted to curse when the couple announced that they didn't know the friend's name. She instead kept silent and allowed Grissom to finish questioning the couple.

Once they left Sara turned a raised eyebrow Grissom's way. "So what do you think? Are they guilty?"

"Sara I told you not to make assumptions. Go home and get some rest," he said as he left the morgue.

Sara followed him out. "Are you going to stay?"

"Yes, for about an hour."

"Then I can stay too," she stated stubbornly.

Grissom stopped and swung around to face her. He looked annoyed. "Sara you look horrible. Go home and get some sleep. If you say no, then I will I will make you take tonight off." 

Sara felt her face flush red with anger, but quickly agreed. She stormed past him and left the building leaving Grissom staring after her.

**To Be Continued....**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Nine:**

Nick walked in the lab that night feeling fantastic. He couldn't stop smiling and knew that eventually either Catherine or Sara would notice and try to beat the details out of him. He wasn't sure which of them would be worse. 

His breakfast with Gypsy had been perfect. Nick had enjoyed her company immensely and he suspected she liked him as well. He had in fact agreed to meet her at her house after his shift. Gypsy Stone might have had some minor fame, but she hadn't let it go to her head. She seemed well grounded and appeared irritated whenever her fame was mentioned.

When Nick had asked why she wanted to see him again she had replied that it was his Texan charm. He laughed.

Now as he walked through the lab, he resolved that he would keep this relationship somewhat to himself. Sara already knew that he had breakfast with Gypsy. She would disapprove, but she wouldn't say anything to the others.. Thinking of Sara reminded him that he intended to talk to her tonight during the shift. He was still troubled by her melancholy attitude lately and wanted to help if he could.

Nick wasn't a stupid man. He could guess that most of Sara's problems started and ended with Gil Grissom. The two CSI's had known each other before Nick had met either of them, but neither had been willing thus far to elaborate on the nature of their previous relationship or even how they met. When Sara had transferred from San Francisco four years earlier, she and Grissom had seemed to be very close friends. Something had happened during the last few years to put a serious strain on that relationship. Whenever Nick questioned Sara about it she would just smile sadly and change the subject.

Nick treasured his friendship with Sara, but he often wished she could be a bit more open with him. Over the course of their friendship he had revealed many of his deepest secrets to her. Including the fact that he had been molested as a child. Sara was an understanding friend. She hadn't pitied him after hearing that part of his past. Instead she stayed with him that day, watching movies and eventually slept on his couch. Sara was more than willing to always assist with his troubles, but always refused to share her personal concerns with him.

It was the one thing about Sara Sidle that frustrated Nick beyond all others.

"Hey buddy, you ignoring me?"

Nick turned his head around and saw Catherine behind him. He must have walked right by her. "Hey Catherine."

"Daydreaming again?" she asked with a wink.

"Yep. About you in fact. You wouldn't happen to have any pictures from your..."

"Stop right there buster. Don't even ask it," she warned jokingly.

Nick mock sighed. "You always shoot me down."

"Careful or one day I just might," she quipped as she made a gun symbol with her hand and pretended to shoot him. "Anyways how is the case coming along?"

"Its not. I've got no prints. No real evidence of any kind. Her manager and brother both had solid alibi's. I contacted her last boyfriend who is now happily married with two children. His wife says that he was home with her when this happened. Looks like I might be heading towards a dead end," he replied guiltily.

Catherine smiled warmly. "Hey don't worry about it Nick. The PD will keep a watch on her for awhile. After she has an alarm system installed she should be more secure."

Nick frowned. "Cath you are talking like this case is over."

Catherine nodded. "It is. Well at least for the moment. I have a multiple DB that Grissom is going to assign you to help me with. If we finish that you can go back to the Gypsy Stone case, but until then we have our priorities. And we both know that a DB has priority over a B&E."

Nick sighed. "Man I don't know what I am going to tell Gypsy."

"Don't tell her anything just yet. Lets see how this case I got goes. Who knows, in no time at all you could be working Gypsy's case again."

Nick gave Catherine an odd look. "Catherine we both know that no case is solved in forty minutes. Man I hate leaving a case behind. I can't wait till Warrick gets back. I don't suppose you could use Greg instead?" Nick suggested hopefully.

Catherine openly glared at him. "Don't even think about it hotshot. Lets get going. Griss skipped assignments tonight since there was only the addition of this multiple DB."

Nick sighed deeply and followed her out of the building and into the parking lot. He silently hoped that this case wouldn't take too long. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Nick walked into the alleyway where Jim Brass awaited them, he felt his gag reflex nearly burst. There would be no shifting back to Gypsy's case tonight. Or anytime soon for that matter.

"Oh my god," Catherine whispered. "Jim what happened here?"

Nick stared at the gorge before him and tried his best to detach himself from the scene. Lying before them were two women who had been stripped naked, beheaded and skinned. He saw several organs lying around the women and assumed that they must have been ripped or cut from their bodies. Each woman's heart had been placed in their left hands. Their heads had been placed neck first at the vagina. Some kind of organ appeared to be forced into their mouths. Whomever did this to them also took the time to remove large portions of skin from each woman's body.

"We will have to use dental records to ID them," he commented softly as he stared fleshless remains of the victims.

David arrived a few minutes later and gasped at the sight before him. He quickly gathered his composure and gave the CSIs his assessment after making a once over examination of both bodies.

"Well I obviously won't be able to determine cause of death until we get them back to the lab. It could obviously be any number of things," he said calmly. "I can't give you the time of death right now as it appears their livers are missing. Lets get these ladies back to the lab," the young coroner said as he stood up and turned away. The scene was clearly as disturbing to him as everyone else.

Nick and Catherine took their time gathering evidence after the bodies were prepared for delivery back to the lab. 

"Hey check this out. A half burnt cigarette here near the bodies," he said as he bagged the evidence.

Nick discovered several bloody shoe prints around the bodies and took a casting mold of them. Catherine nearly shouted with glee when she found two large plastic wraps covered in blood inside of a nearby dumpster. 

"Our guy is being very considerate leaving us this evidence and all," Nick commented in a soft tone of voice.

Catherine glanced over at the younger CSI. "You know, outside of that floater I worked with Sara not too long ago, this is easily my most disgusting case to date."

Nick nodded. "Yeah me too." 

Catherine glanced at her watch. They had been out here for three hours. "Come on kiddo, I think we have everything we are going to get from this scene. Lets head back to the lab."

Nick took one last look at the crime scene and nodded his agreement. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the end of shift Nick felt exhausted. He considered breaking his date with Gypsy and picked up his cell to do so, but thought that perhaps seeing her would cheer him up a bit. Instead on the way to her home he used his cell to call Sara, who he never had a chance to talk to.

"Sidle," she answered.

Nick thought she sounded grumpy. "Hey Sar, its Nick."

"Oh hey Nick." Her tone sounded lighter. 

He smiled. "You know you didn't have to run off yesterday. I wanted to have breakfast with you."

She chuckled on the other line. "Hey I wouldn't ever ask you trade a meal with a beautiful woman for a vegetarian breakfast with me. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah I did. In fact I am surprised you aren't jumping down my throat," Nick commented.

"What about the fact you are spending personal time with the victim of a crime? Normally I would, but I heard you had to work a hellish case last night. I'm feeling considerate. Take advantage of it while you can."

They chatted casually for a few more minutes and Nick decided that perhaps he had been over reacting about Sara's mood. _'She has her ups and downs just like everyone else,'_ he thought. He bid her farewell as he pulled into Gypsy's driveway. A uniformed police officer still sat parked in car in front of her house. Nick waved to him. The officer wouldn't think anything of him being here since he was working the case.

When Nick knocked on her door Gypsy answered almost immediately. Upon seeing the expression upon his face she furrowed her brow and let him in.

"Whats wrong?" she asked with concern.

Nick laughed sarcastically. "How do you know something is wrong?"

Gypsy smiled warmly. "I told you once before that you read like an open book Nick Stokes."

Nick gave a slight grimace at the thought of being so transparent. "I had a rough night." 

"You want to talk about it?" she offered as she took his jacket and placed it over the arm rest of her couch.

"Naw. I just want to forget about it for now. I probably shouldn't have come here, I..."

"Nonsense," she interrupted. "I want to get to know you Nick. Knowing you means I'll have to see what you are like when you are down as well, right? Come on let me make you breakfast," she said as leaned up to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Nick smiled as he followed her into the kitchen. He felt better already.

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Ten:**

Once she left the lab Sara admitted to herself that Grissom had been right to send her home. Of course he hadn't known that she had downed half a bottle of Tequila earlier that morning. She still felt a bit woozy, but was confidant that she hide her condition from anyone observing her. In many ways Sara hated herself for having to hide anything.

Sara knew she wasn't an alcoholic, but she also recognized that she had a problem in the making. Brass had confronted her about it over a month ago, but she had blown him off as best she could. She wondered now if she should have used his shoulder to lean on. Sara hated feeling dependent upon anyone, yet at the same time she was filled with an overwhelming sorrow. Nick had been doing his best to reach out to her lately, but she never could quite bring herself to confide in him. Somehow she doubted that, despite his best intentions, Brass would be able to help her either.

While she had never forgotten what happened between herself and Grissom all those years ago, she had been surprised that he had mentioned it. He had never even once brought the topic up since she had come to Las Vegas. She still remembered the feeling she had when he called her asking for her assistance with the Holly Gribbs matter. And when he asked her to stay as a CSI in Vegas, she hadn't even hesitated to think it over. Sara had thought that he wanted to start over.

At first it had seemed that way. They were close. She had spent most mornings after shift chatting with him on the phone. Their past always lay there between them, however, Sara assumed that they could work through it and move on. Start over.

That was until her second year in this city. Slowly, over time, Grissom stopped assigning her to cases that he was working on. He told her that she needed hobbies, that she needed to get a life. He began to ignore her. At the time this treatment had surprised and perplexed her. And so it was during this time that she started dating Hank. 

"Gawd that was a disaster in the making," Sara muttered as she made a right turn onto her street.

Hank's betrayal had hurt deeply at first. However, it didn't take Sara very long at all to realize that she had never loved him at all. Hank had been a diversion from Grissom. Sara tried not to think of Grissom's diversion in one Lady Heather. _ 'Or was that woman a diversion at all? Perhaps thats the type of woman he really wants,'_ she thought morosely.

Sara squeezed her steering wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white. The memory of hearing the rumors about Grissom and _that woman _still caused her deep rooted pain. She wondered sometimes if he were punishing her. A part of her mind told her that she deserved this for what she did to him all those years ago.

Despite her exhaustion she knew that it would take at least a few drinks to push Grissom out of her mind before she could sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sara made sure that she arrived to work that night earlier than usual. She popped into the lab without offering greetings to those who tried to strike a conversation with her. Instead she practically sprinted towards the break room and more importantly, the coffee machine. She felt like the equivalent of warmed over feces. Sara knew that she had entirely too much to drink that morning and hoped that a few cups of coffee would calm her nerves down.

Sara groaned when she saw that no one had started a pot yet. She reached for the jar of coffee and the box of filters. When she opened the filter box she saw that it was empty.

"Dammit," she grumbled irritably.

"Something wrong Sara?"

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't turn around. "Hi Grissom. No coffee filters."

"Check the top cabinet. I brought some more in yesterday," he replied calmly.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." Sara reached up into the cabinet with her right hand for the filters. As she brought them down she stared at her hand for a long moment. It was shaking. She brought her left hand up next to the right and noticed that she couldn't keep that one still either.

"Sara?"

She sighed. He hadn't gone away. "Hey again Griss."

"I think we need to talk. Come to my office once you get your coffee please."

"Sure."

Sara took her time preparing the pot of coffee knowing that anything Grissom wanted to talk about privately with her couldn't be good. Finally she poured her cup and left it black. She needed something strong this evening. Sara walked to Grissom's office and knocked lightly on the door. 

"Come in Sara. Shut the door behind you," he said politely. "Sit down please."

Sara sat down in the chair across from his desk and took a sip of her coffee. The strong brew burned her tongue and she winced. She set the mug on the edge of his desk and placed her hands in her lap. She hadn't yet looked him in the eye since entering the office and when he sighed loudly she guessed he must of have noticed.

"Sara do you want to tell me what is going on with you?"

Sara shook her head. "Nothing is going on. I am just not feeling so hot right now."

"Sara you look horrible tonight. Earlier when the Miles' were in the morgue with us you looked even worse. When was the last time you slept?"

"I slept earlier today Griss," she replied plainly.

He looked down at his desk for a moment before posing another question. "Is this because of me?"

Sara's eyes shot up to meet his. She wanted to shout at him that her condition was indeed his fault. Instead she shook her head in a negative fashion. "No Grissom. Not everything is about you. I am just feeling a bit under the weather."

Grissom looked like he wanted to say something else, but couldn't find the words. Instead he changed the topic to the case they were working on.

"After you left this afternoon I stayed here for a few hours and made a few phone calls. Including one to Scott Lansmier who was able to help me with a few names," Grissom commented as he reached across the desk to hand Sara a list he had created. His knuckles brushed against the mug of coffee and he accidentally pushed the steaming liquid into her lap.

"Oh fuck!" Sara yelped out, suddenly feeling instantly awake. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" 

Grissom grabbed a roll of paper towels he kept in his office and rushed to her side. He tried to mop up as much of the liquid as he could while she danced around muttering curses. Finally he convinced her to sit back down. Grissom was examining her right arm which had received the worst of the coffee when something caught his eye. He grabbed each of her wrists and pulled them close together. When he let go he examined her hands for a moment before giving her an accusing stare. 

"Sara your hands are visibly shaking."

"I uh...the coffee," she stammered. She couldn't look him in the eye.

"Sara are you going to tell me the truth?" Grissom asked, not trying to hide the anger in his voice.

She refused to answer him. Instead she lowered her head so that she wouldn't have to look at him.

After a moment Grissom stood up and observed her sitting before him, her head lowered so that she wouldn't have to face him. "Sara I want you to go home and get some rest. Come back tomorrow night," he said before walking out of his office.

If he had stayed a moment longer he would have seen the tears flowing down Sara's face as she raised her head.

**To Be Continued...**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Title: **Las Vegas Knights

**A/N:** Is anyone actually reading this fic? 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. These character's are owned by some ridiculously rich people who think that character development means that you turn one of your best characters into an alcoholic.

**Chapter Eleven:**

After Grissom left Sara behind in his office he went to find a quiet place to think. Unfortunately such a place was rare in this lab, especially when you happen to be the night shift supervisor. After the third person approached him asking for his opinion on something inconsequential, he finally gave up and decided to head towards the break room and wait for the other CSIs to show up. As much as it irked him he would have to work with Greg tonight since he sent Sara home. He briefly considered calling her cell asking her to come back, but immediately dismissed the thought. Something was wrong with Sara and until he had a chance to either force her to talk to him or someone else about it he didn't want her working around evidence.

Seeing the way her hands shook continued to bother him immensely. He hoped that she was simply overworked and needed a rest, however his instincts told him that the problem was much more severe than that. He realized that he could no longer ignore the fact that Sara was having problems. Tonight was the first time her issues were in danger of affecting her job.

Deep in thought Grissom nearly stumbled into Greg who was racing down the hallway.

"Greg! Slow down," Grissom barked.

"Uh sorry Griss. I just need to get these samples to Jacqui for Catherine," the lab tech suppered as he jumped past his supervisor.

"Greg deliver those samples then report back here to the break room. You have one minute."

Greg's eyes widened before he turned around and raced down the hallway once more. Grissom shook his head with exasperation. When he walked into the break room Catherine and Nick were chatting to themselves. He stood in the doorway and waited for them to notice him.

"So what do you think I should do Cath?" Nick whispered loudly.

"Well do you like her?" Catherine inquired.

"Yeah she is pretty amazing. She wants to see me again after shift."

Catherine exhaled heavily. "I think you need to be very careful with this Nick. I think that you sh...oh hey Grissom. Here for assignments?"

"Yes." Grissom briefly wondered who they were discussing.

Nick looked around the room as if searching for someone. "Griss where is S..."

Grissom cut him off as he sat down. "I gave her the night off." 

Catherine frowned. "Are you sure that is a good idea? I thought you said that we we were all going to tough it out until Warrick got back."

Grissom gave Catherine a look that plainly stated that he didn't want to discuss the issue. "She isn't feeling well. Greg will be taking her place tonight."

Even as Grissom said his name Greg came sliding into the room wearing a foolish grin on his face. A single glare from Grissom caused him to sit down next to Nick, but he didn't stop smiling.

"Catherine how is that multiple DB coming along?" Grissom asked without looking at her as he shifted through some papers.

"It was rather gruesome, but our perp was kind enough to leave plenty of evidence lying around. Nick was able to pull a partial off of a cigarette lying close to the body. Hopefully we can get a warrant tonight," Catherine said while she smiled at Nick.

Grissom nodded. "Alright, you two keep working your case. The Jonathan Miles' case will have to be put on hold until the morning when we can interview some of the people who last saw him. In the meantime, Greg you are will me. We have a B&E at a corner store a few blocks away from the strip."

Greg shot up from his seat. "Beware villains! The Criminator is coming for you!" Greg exclaimed in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.

Catherine and Nick both left the break room chuckling while Grissom was left wanting to strangle his lab tech. "Greg put a cap on your head before going out. I won't have you seen at a crime scene with that hair. Meet me in the parking lot in five minutes. Bring your kit."

Greg watched his supervisor leave the break room and reached up to touch his hair. "Whats wrong with my hair?" he called out.

"Its BLUE," Grissom yelled back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours after they arrived at their scene Grissom had to admit to himself that he was impressed with Greg's performance. In fact, Grissom realized that he hadn't needed to reprimand Greg once since arriving at the crime scene. Now as he watched Greg expertly dusting for prints and collecting evidence he felt proud of the younger man.

"Greg come here," he snapped in his usual tone. He didn't want to give the lab tech any reason to wear that stupid smile on his face.

Greg quickly put his supplies down and raced to stand in front of Grissom. "Yes boss?" 

"I was wondering what your thoughts were on this case."

Greg's mouth opened and closed a few times without any words coming out. 

"Well?" Grissom pressured.

Greg started looking around. He glanced at Grissom one more time before speaking. "Well its a B&E. The perpetrators entered through the back entrance. It looks like they forced the door open. The owner reported a small safe missing."

Grissom nodded. "Is that all you see?"

Greg gulped and shifted his feet. "Well I thought it kind of odd that the alarm didn't go off. Either it wasn't set or the person who did this knew the code."

The corners of Grissom's mouth began to curve upward. "You've been doing your homework. Good job. Now get back to work."

Greg grinned at him before scampering away. Grissom continued to watch the young lab tech realizing that very soon Greg would be asking for a permanent position in the field. Ever since the explosion last year he hadn't seemed very comfortable working in the lab. Grissom remembered telling Greg to learn how to be a CSI on his own time. It now appeared that he had been doing just that. Perhaps soon he might be given that opportunity. 

Grissom concluded that he would approach Greg about the matter after Carvallo made his final decision between Nick and Sara about the promotion. This thought led his mind back to Sara. Sara, a woman he did his best to avoid. Grissom had foolishly believed that the two of them could be friends and nothing more. Everything had been going well between them in Vegas until she asked him to dinner. Until that time he had assumed that the attraction between them had faded so that only he was left carrying a torch. Until then he had thought that they could be friends and nothing more.

Grissom was jarred out of his reverie when someone else walked into the corner store. He quickly bagged a piece of torn cloth he saw on the floor and stood up to see who was intruding on their crime scene. The culprit happened to be Jim Brass.

"Jim what are you doing here?"

Brass glanced at Greg who was staring at them from across the room. "Gil, come outside. We need to talk."

Grissom shook his head. "Whats the problem?"

Brass frowned. "Its about Sara. We need to talk privately," he reaffirmed.

Grissom still didn't move his feet. "What happened?" he asked urgently. "Is she hurt? Injured?" He felt his heart pounding in his chest.

Brass sighed. "This isn't something prying ears need to hear. Gil just humor me okay?"

Finally Grissom nodded. He looked at Greg who was still observing them, and barked out an order for him to get back to work. Grissom followed Brass outside and down to the end of a short alley.

"Jim what is the problem? Whats with the secrecy?"

Jim Brass looked extremely uncomfortable as he considered how to break his news to his friend. "Listen Gil. Sara was picked up about twenty minutes ago."

Grissom shook his head not comprehending Brass' explanation. "Picked up?"

Brass sighed. "She was driving under the influence Gil."

"Oh god." Grissom felt his jaw go slack.

Brass reached a comforting hand out and placed it on Grissom's shoulder. "Listen Gil, this is being kept quiet. Thats why I am here telling you. She isn't going to be charged with anything. Apparently she was having some drinks at a local bar that us law enforcement types sometimes hang out at. One of my guys saw her there and was watching her closely. When she left, he followed her. She got pulled over before she could go far."

Grissom pursed his lips tightly. "What is going to happen to her?"

"Nothing. We are going to keep it hush hush. This time," he added. "I think its best if you go pick her up."

Grissom exhaled and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "This isn't good Jim. Sara drinking? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well," Brass said in an evasive tone.

Grissom shot him a look. "Did you know about this?" he asked harshly.

"Look Gil. She needs you right now. I'll cover this scene for you. Go pick her up. If you don't she is going to be sitting there until she sobers up."

Grissom sputtered. "I can't leave you and Greg to cover a crime scene!"

Brass rolled his eyes. "You know I never was great at your job, but I don't suck either. I can supervise. Go!"

Grissom finally nodded. This was only a simple B&E anyways. They couldn't screw it up too much could they? It was with that thought that he climbed into his vehicle and drove towards the station to pick Sara up.

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
